When it comes to good grooming, the devil is in the detail; nothing lets a man down quite like errant ear or eyebrow hair or a nasty-looking nose garden. Little wonder, then, that these hair trimmers remain one of the most useful gadgets a man can have in his grooming arsenal.
If you’ve ever wondered why these unsightly and wiry rogue hairs pop up – especially in later life – Eva Proudman, chair of The Institute of Trichologists has an explanation. “It’s widely believed that the increase in ear hair is due an increase of testosterone, which makes hair coarser and thicker as it ages and greys,” she says. “As men age the hair follicles become more sensitive to male hormones, which keeps them in the ‘growing phase’ for longer.”
It’s this that leads to those extra-long hairs popping up, though, thankfully, they don’t end up as long as the stuff on your head because ear, nose and eyebrow hair has a shorter growing phase. “Eyebrows, for example, grow for around 30 days before shedding and re-growing whereas the hair on our head generally grows for between 2-5 years before shedding and re-growing,” says Proudman.
When it comes to tackling these unwanted hairs there are lots of options, such as plucking, waxing and shaving, while experienced Turkish barbers singe ear hair away with a flame. Unless you know exactly what you’re doing, have a high pain threshold or asbestos ears, though, the simplest way is to use a trimmer.
There are two main types: rotary ones featuring a circular head that protects rotating blades or angled, flat blades ones. Both do the same thing (save you from looking like a Yeti) though angled ones tend to be a little better at getting into awkward places.
Read more:
- 10 best electric toothbrushes that keep teeth heathy and white
- 8 best beard trimmers to keep your facial hair under control
- 8 best hair clippers for a professional buzz cut at home
- 8 best teeth whitening kits for brightening your smile at home
So which trimmer should you try? Which offers the best value for money and which could happily reside on your bathroom shelf without causing embarrassment? We road tested (or nose tested) the best on offer to find out.
How we tested
We tested each product over a period of several weeks on ear, nostril and eyebrow hair (and facial hair where the trimmer was designed for that), taking into consideration how each trimmer performed and whether there was any cutting or snagging. As ever we took appearance (can the unsexist grooming tool actually look sexy?) and value for money into account too, along with how each gadget felt in the hand. Come take a closer look at what we thought.
The best nose hair trimmers for 2022 are:
- Best overall –BaByliss men super-X metal series nose, ear and eyebrow trimmer: £30, Mankind.co.uk
- Best budget buy –Superdrug men’s nose & ear hair trimmer: £5.99, Superdrug.com, Superdrug.com
- Best rechargeable trimmer –Manscaped weed whacker: £40, Manscaped.com
- Best for perfectionists –Remington T-series complete detail kit NE7000: £22.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best mid-priced trimmer –Wahl precision ear, nose & eyebrow trimmer: £7.50, Amazon.co.uk
- Best eco option –Tweezerman nose hair trimmer: £18, Amazon.co.uk
- Best multi-functional kit –Braun 9-in-1 trimmer kit MGK5280: £45.49, Lookfantastic.com
